Sir David Attenborough’s 90th birthday to be marked with TV special

THE BBC will mark Sir David Attenborough’s 90th birthday with a one-off programme.

Veteran broadcaster Sir David will turn 90 next May, and the corporation is celebrating the milestone with an interview in front of a studio audience.

The hour-long special, called Inspiring Attenborough: Sir David at 90, will see Kirsty Young talk to the naturalist about his career, the inspiring people he has met, the journeys he has made, and the animal encounters he has had across the globe.

The BBC One programme will celebrate Sir David’s contribution to people’s understanding of the natural world, and to the development of television broadcasting – in a career that has spanned seven decades.

He will be joined by film makers, zoologists, conservationists, biologists, anthropologists as well as pioneers from the world of broadcasting.

Highlighting some of the most unforgettable moments from Sir David’s career, Young will ask about what they mean to him, from capturing unique animal behaviour for the first time and uncovering critical conservation stories to the fast paced advancement in filming technology over recent decades.

The BBC also announced a second programme with Sir David for next year looking at the world of bioluminescence – light made by living things.

Sir David will be the guide on BBC Two’s Light on Earth, venturing into a world he describes as “utterly unlike our own”.

Tom McDonald, head of commissioning, Natural History and Special Factual Formats, said: “2015 has been an outstanding year for Natural History on the BBC.

“Big Blue Live achieved a number of world firsts, including the very first live broadcast of a blue whale, whilst landmark series The Hunt on BBC One is currently astounding over five million viewers each week.

“The Watches are going from strength to strength, and series such as Japan, Pets: Wild At Heart, Shark and Alaska: Earth’s Frozen Kingdom have brought new audiences to our Natural History content; and we have much more to come next year with our innovative migration series The Great Race, and our blue chip landmark series, One Planet.

“The two new programmes demonstrate the integral role David continues to play in the success of Natural History on the BBC.

“With Great Barrier Reef launching soon, Waking Giants in the New Year and these two new titles for 2016, I’m delighted to have such a rich range of projects with David airing in the same year as his 90th birthday.”